Valentine's Day: A Tale of Friendship
by crowskisses
Summary: Bonnie and Meredith spend Valentine's Day reminiscing about where their lives went. Set about 60 some odd years into the future, with no reference to anything beyond "Midnight". Set in the "I Love College" universe, but no real spoilers there. A little sad.


Author: crowskisses

Rating: K

Summary: Bonnie and Meredith spend Valentine's Day reminiscing about where their lives went. Set about 60 some odd years into the future, with no reference to anything beyond "Midnight". Set in the "I Love College" universe, but no real spoilers there. A little sad.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Valentine's Day

The small redheaded woman who came every Monday and Wednesday alone and every Friday with the blonde approached the nursing station for the first time. Today she had two bouquets rather than her usual one. Normally she spared them a smile as she went to room 629, never stopping to chat or explain her connection with the patient.

Arla had been in this ward for ten years and knew she was no child of the patient, no relative of any sort, though that lot certainly was tight lipped enough when asked about the two young women who came regularly. Arla also knew that this redheaded woman who was smiling somewhat shyly at her over the counter hadn't aged a day in all those years, Arla herself had, gained ten pounds to boot too. "Can I help you, miss...?"

"Bonnie." The woman responded and Arla had a feeling she hadn't said that name outside room 629 in years. Arla already knew of course, she was nosy enough to have listened into one or two of the long conversations the hospital had recorded. Bonnie was holding the flowers towards her, "These are for you."

Arla took them in astonishment, looking down at the roses in confusion. "Why?"

One of the delicate shoulders rolled, half a mouth quirking up. Her response was simple, astonishing even. "It's your last day, isn't it?"

"But..." Arla nodded, how did this young woman know? She'd never even stopped for coffee before. Another shrug, her voice birdlike and humble as she moved away. "You never asked. That's more than anyone else has ever done."

"Thank you." Arla called after her, only now noticing the small card stuffed among the roses. She'd never asked, because she'd been afraid they would stop coming to see her favorite patient. Afraid that visits would drift from daily to weekends, weekends to monthly and monthly to holidays like it had for so many of the rest of her keep.

She opened the card, not even getting a chance to look at the message before the slips of paper came drifting out. She grabbed at the floating papers, turning over the two tickets to Germany in astonishment. She'd always dreamed of going there, how had she known? Arla looked down the hallway, hearing the door to 629 click shut and back into the windfall in her hands.

…...

"Meredith?" Bonnie asked softly; always afraid to wake her frail friend.

"Yes, who's there?" The voice was still strong, her personality intact if her memories weren't.

Bonnie eased into the room, wondering what it would be today. Would Meredith recognize her or view her as a stranger? And if she recognized her would it go well? Meredith's smile was serene, "Do I know you?"

Bonnie sidestepped the question, as she had done countless times before. "I brought you irises, you're favorite!"

The crinkled face lit up, "My husband used to bring me those."

Bonnie smiled in return, taking her time to put the flowers in their usual vase. Alaric had been gone years now, though there would be no reminding Meredith of the fact. It was no use rushing Meredith or the memories if they decided to come. Eventually she carried them to the small table in front of Meredith's chair, taking the opposite armchair. Meredith was looking at her intently, her deep gray hair pulled elegantly into a bun, ever refusing white even in her eighties.

"How are you today?" Bonnie asked, unsurprised when Meredith kept on looking at her.

The light grey eyes were focused as they had always been, no film of cataracs covering them. "You look like an old friend of mine...Her name was Bonnie."

"A relative. The resemblance is remarkable, isn't it?" The response was smooth, practiced over countless visits. This way seemed the easiest for Meredith; a resemblance was easier than the truth most of the time.

Meredith was nodding and for a moment Bonnie imagined her as she was in her youth, glowing and strong in her twenties. But Meredith drug her back to the present, "Are you one of Bonnie and Matt's then? Or who was the other one...the dark one?"

"Damon." Bonnie struggled to keep her voice light this time, there had been no children of Bonnie and Matt, just a son with Sue. He'd been dead how many years now? Always the hero he hadn't even made it to his thirty fifth birthday. Nobody had guessed Margaret Gilbert would have the same supernatural draw her sister had and Matt...poor noble Coach Honeycutt at that point...had saved her.

"He was afraid of me." There was pride in the old woman's voice, a noble undercurrent that had survived aging.

"He still is." Bonnie replied absentmindedly; Damon had never really gotten over being intimidated by Meredith. Even senile and struggling with dementia she still put him on edge. Not that Bonnie would ever rub the fact in.

The grey eyes were narrowing, the frail woman sitting up in her chair. Whoops, Bonnie thought, watching the realization crash across the high cheekbones. The old voice sounded suddenly young again, "Bonnie?"

Bonnie nodded, pushing back tears, somehow she still got choked up every time. She was rising, gently hugging the old woman in front of her whose arms were out. "Its ok, Meredith...its ok."

She pulled away, finding Meredith looking intently at her then at her own wrinkled skin. There was confusion, fear even, "What happened?"

"What do you remember last?" Bonnie took her own seat again, this answer varied. Logically, the youngest memories survived best, but sometimes Meredith remembered into her sixties.

The grey eyes were far away, concentrating. "Klaus...Christian. Elena?"

"She'll come tomorrow." Bonnie kept her voice soothing, praying that Meredith wouldn't ask about Alaric next. Not on Valentine 's day.

She didn't, for the first time in a long time. The world was full of small favors. "What happened to you, Bonnie? Or what happened to me?"

"Fountain of youth for me, nice long life for you. Everything you ever wanted."

There were tears in the grey eyes now, more memories surfacing. "I remember...Matt gave it to you when you were dying. How is he?"

"Well enough." Bonnie answered; the statement was true in it's own way. He had passed on certainly, but was well settled in the Underworld, a yearly visit that ached each time for her.

Meredith looked around the richly furnished room as if taking stock of it anew, a small burrow forming between her brows. "It smells like a hospital here."

Bonnie nodded, the familiar twist of guilt in her stomach, they hadn't wanted to put Meredith in this setting, but it wasn't their choice in the end. Meredith's age and dementia had driven her grandchildren into the situation, no matter how much Bonnie and Elena offered to pay for a private nurse or 24 hour staff. People that had to speak through lawyers, so their lack of aging wouldn't be seen, weren't particularly easy to trust these days. Bonnie's frustration had almost broken her down time and time again to go see them, to let the truth slip and have Meredith taken care of in luxury, but the dark eyes of her partner always stilled her.

He understood the passing of time, the losing of the ties left to a mortal life far better than she'd learned yet. While not always gentle on that front, he also understood he was tied to Virginia until Meredith's time came and she joined Alaric.

"You're in a specialized clinic." Bonnie answered her friend, it was true, the staff here was trained well to help their patients remember or not on a daily basis and to medicate and train. Meredith hated the craft classes.

"Did I go crazy?" The question was blunt, Meredith never did like to sugar coat.

"No, you were the one who didn't. I got the crazy genes." Bonnie gave her a wan smile before continuing. "You got old and your mind got tired. There's medical terms for it, but those don't account for all of the things we saw throughout the years…"

This went over well, "I did marry a parapsychologist."

Bonnie tried not to tense, Meredith was better about remembering dates and time than people. It did no good. "Does Alaric come to visit me?"

This was a safer question to answer, one of the reasons she'd asked Elena not to join on the holiday visit like she'd wanted and to come later in the afternoon. Elena had been worried the festive Valentine's decorations would pain Meredith. Bonnie answered it carefully, "In his own way."

Meredith ran a clawed hand to smooth her gray bun, considering the phrasing. Even after all of these years she hadn't lost her powers of discernment. "And what way is that?" A pause, more recent memories filtering in, "Your way?"

"My way." Bonnie confirmed, glad to not have to explain. "He waits for you, Meredith."

The intense tears that flooded Meredith's eyes stung, the emotion she held so controlled for so many years bubbling up. Meredith held out trembling, wrinkled hands and Bonnie took them, hers still young and firm. Bonnie gave a small squeeze, "Take deep breaths, concentrate and think of Alaric."

Bonnie took her own deep, controlled breaths, all it took now to slip over to a trance. She was never sure what Alaric to expect: sometimes he was middle aged, or sunworn from a trip, sometimes the young father, sometimes the 22 year old grad student that Meredith initially met. Today he was young, maybe 25 or 26 and wearing a wedding band. Bonnie held out her other mental hand to draw Meredith into the place she'd created, heard one shuddering gasp of disbelief and one exhale of elation before she withdrew. In the years she'd lived she'd learned to leave the trance open and not invade the privacy, a hard lesson.

…..

When Bonnie finally closed the trance the sun had drifted across the window and she'd had several cups of tea. She could sense Damon near; hear the murmur of his disquiet at the back of her mind.

"Longer than normal, redbird." Damon's voice had a soft rebuke in it as he entered the room. "You'll get a headache."

Bonnie automatically glanced at where Meredith was ensconced in the chair, but she was still breathing deeply. Bonnie rolled her shoulders, not able to hide the sadness in her tones. "Well, it's Valentine's Day. Don't they deserve that much?"

The dark eyes watching her didn't give an inch and she let out the pause she'd been holding, the worry filling her. "It's getting easier to bridge the worlds…"

"The barrier is thinning for her." Damon agreed thoughtfully, without emotion. "I wonder if it's her mental state or age?"

"My mental state is fine at the moment, Damon." Meredith's voice was sharp, her eyes open now.

He ducked his head and Bonnie gave Meredith a conspiratorial grin from beyond him. Damon recovered smoothly, his voice angelic rather than acidic. "Apparently. I was coming to collect Bonnie and say hello."

Meredith raised an eyebrow and slowly, then faster with Bonnie's help, rose from her chair. Bonnie guided her to the bed, "Elena will be by later in the afternoon, if you'd like to rest before."

Meredith nodded, looking thoughtful if old, allowing Bonnie to help her get settled in. Bonnie's hands were clinical and compassionate, her training as a nurse never lost. "I have a feeling my dreams will be full of memories."

"Hopefully good ones." Bonnie responded, reaching down to give her frail lifetime friend a hug. "I'm glad we got to talk today, Meredith."

Meredith got the secondary meaning of course, glad that her mind had cooperated enough, glad that she hadn't gotten upset, glad that they had gotten a real, true conversation. She was grateful to Bonnie and Elena in the moment, in the bonds of friendship and loyalty that had them coming to see her regularly even though it must hurt them when she couldn't remember. It had to be a lonely life watching time pass you by. She let her eyes drift shut for a moment before opening once more before she drifted into a nap, "I miss you too, Bonnie."

Bonnie's eyes stung with unshed tears for a moment, before she swallowed them. She made sure Meredith was asleep before following Damon from the room silently. He reached out and took her hand in the hallway, a gentle squeeze saying that he was there for her. Not necessarily that he understood, he'd never cared that deeply about humans to stick around for this and still had Stefan, but that he was there for her and would always be.

They passed out of the ward, past already forgotten Arla, out of the building and into the sunlight and she stopped, pressing herself into his chest. His arms folded around her, his breath moving her hair as she spoke against his chest. "I don't know how you've done this for so long."

"Well," he started thoughtfully, wanting to lighten the weight on her heart, "the company of pretty girls has certainly helped."

The smile he felt move against his chest was wan and token, so his next words were more serious. "For a long time I stepped out of the mortal realm because it was easier…but know, redbird, I will always be here when it hurts for you."

Her face lifted from his chest, brown eyes sad, but with a renewed spirit. Bonnie twisted the eternity band on her finger, "Always?"

He answered the only way appropriate on Valentine's Day, with a kiss.

Fin.


End file.
